Paddy Rawlinson | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/rawlinson-paddy
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Response: Any foreign investor knows Russia's been corrupt for centurieshttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/14/russia-corruption-foreign-investors
Most overseas businesses are willing to comply with its endemic mafia culture<p>So, Russia is a &quot;virtual mafia state&quot;, according to a leaked diplomatic document (<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/dec/01/wikileaks-cables-russia-mafia-kleptocracy" title="WikiLeaks cables condemn Russia as a mafia state">Inside Putin's 'mafia state'</a>, 2 December). As an academic who has spent 15 years researching organised crime in Russia, I would say what you call a &quot;startling briefing for US officials&quot; is hardly revelatory.</p><p>Nearly two decades ago Boris Yeltsin publicly declared Russia to be the &quot;superpower of crime&quot; and the &quot;biggest mafia state in the world&quot;. Corruption has been a fact of life in Russia for decades, indeed centuries, so much so that while most Russians might be morally uncomfortable with its pervasive presence, they regard it as normal. So too, it turns out, do most foreign businesses. Unlike most Russians, however, they are not compelled to stay in a country where sleaze, criminality and exploitation are facets of daily life.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/14/russia-corruption-foreign-investors">Continue reading...</a>RussiaVladimir PutinThe US embassy cablesAlexander LitvinenkoMafiaDmitry MedvedevUS foreign policyPoliticsForeign policyEuropeTue, 14 Dec 2010 08:00:11 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/dec/14/russia-corruption-foreign-investorsPaddy Rawlinson2010-12-14T08:00:11Z